1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to hats, caps, and other headgear, and more particularly to a hat having a relatively wide brim with a drape depending from the outer edge of the brim. The brim also includes a relatively stiff but flexible circumferential member, allowing the brim to be twisted generally in a figure eight pattern and folded over for storage of the hat.
2. Description of the Related Art
Innumerable different types of hats, caps, and headgear have been developed over the years. A relatively recent development has been the hat with a relatively wide brim, with the brim including a circumferential flexible stiffening member therearound. The compact storage of such devices by twisting into a figure eight pattern and then doubling over the eight to form two loops each having less than half the diameter of the original, has been known for quite some time, as many articles (surveyor's tapes, etc.) are commonly stored in this manner. Such articles can be twisted into more than two loops and folded over accordingly for even more compact storage, if desired.
Another branch of the field of hats and headgear has involved the inclusion of some form of drape depending from the crown or hatband of the hat or cap. The classic "French Foreign Legion" cap is an old example of such caps with rearwardly depending drapes. While such drapes do provide some protection from the sun and environment to the back of the neck, their extremely close proximity to the back of the neck due to their depending directly from the hatband of the hat or cap, precludes significant circulation of air about the back of the neck, thus failing to provide the degree of comfort which might be desired. Yet, most such hats and caps do not have a brim which completely surrounds the crown of the hat, as most are adapted for relatively compact storage and a wide surrounding brim generally precludes such compact storage, with the exception of hats constructed with twist folding brims as recognized above.
Accordingly, a need will be seen for a hat having a relatively wide, twist folding brim for good protection from the sun and environment, which hat further includes a drape. Unlike hats with drapes of the prior art, the present drape extends from the outer edge of the brim, rather than from the hatband or edge of the crown portion of the hat. This positions the drape well away from the neck of the wearer of the hat, thus providing good air circulation between the back of the neck or other area of the wearer of the hat, and the drape. Yet, the drape thus positioned still provides good protection from the sun and environment, and serves to shade the back of the neck of the wearer of the hat. The brim with its circumferential twist folding member, provides for compact storage of the hat, brim, and drape when the hat is not needed.
A discussion of the related art of which the present inventor is aware, and its differences and distinctions from the present invention, is provided below.
U.S. Pat. No. 822,986 issued on Jun. 12, 1906 to Jean Rochet, titled "Head And Nape Covering," describes a hat having a "nape-covering" or drape for the back of the neck. The drape is permanently affixed to the back of the hat band portion of the cap, and cannot be removed. FIGS. 1 through 4 of the Rochet patent. illustrate a cap resembling the classing French Foreign Legion style cap, while FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate a cap with a relatively wider circular crown. Each of the embodiments describes a cap having only a partial forward brim, or bill, with the drape depending from the rear of the hat band, unlike the present drape which depends from the edge of the brim. No twist folding action is provided for the Rochet caps.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,897,510 issued on Aug. 4, 1959 to Christina E. Forbes-Robinson, titled "Sports Cap Or Hat Accessory," describes a cap having a low crown and partial forward brim, or bill. The rear portion of the crown includes a hair shield or drape which depends from the band portion of the hat. The cap more closely resembles the cap of FIGS. 1 through 4 of the Rochet patent than the present hat with brim and drape, as only a partial brim or bill is provided. The drape is permanently attached to the back of the hat band, and no twist folding of the hat is disclosed, unlike the twist folding provided for the present hat invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,469,264 issued on Sep. 30, 1969 to Charles J. Harris, titled "Plastic Rainwear Hood," describes a hood, including a drape, which is formed to fit over a baseball style cap having a generally hemispherical crown. The hood may be worn alone, or over such a cap as desired. The drape portion of the headgear is permanently attached to the band portion of the cap, with the only brim disclosed being a relatively short and narrow bill extending only over the face of the wearer. No broad, circumferential brim is disclosed, nor is any means of twist folding the brim for compact storage, as provided by the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,496,574 issued on Feb. 24, 1970 to Irvin Liverant, titled "Folding Hat And Integral Hat Crown-Shaping And Hat-Storing Device," describes a hat having a twist folding, circular brim with a low, generally cylindrical crown portion. The crown is adapted to carry and store an envelope for the hat when the hat is in an opened configuration for wearing, with the envelope being removed from the inside of the crown and used for storing the twist folded brim and folded crown for storage. No drape, either permanently attached or removable, is disclosed in the Liverant patent.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,057,855 issued on Nov. 15, 1977 to Karnig Hovhannessian, titled "Adjustable Sun Hat," describes a radially pleated, umbrella-like shade which is adjustably attached to a head band arrangement. No twist folding brim, or drape extending from such a brim, is disclosed by Hovhannessian.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,096,590 issued on Jun. 27, 1978 to Edward G. Keshock, titled "Collapsible Hat," describes a hat having a relatively wide brim with a circumferential flexible stiffening member therein. The brim material is cut to stress the stiffening member so the brim is bistable, having alternate turned up and turned down areas normal to one another. The flexible stiffening member provides for the brim and crown to be twist folded for storage, in this case by forming triple loops of the brim band member and corresponding folding of the hat material. However, Keshock does not disclose any form of drape with his hat.
U.S. Patent No. 4,131,954 issued on Jan. 2, 1979 to Louis C. Brock et al., titled "Collapsible Headgear," describes a hat having an umbrella-like shade extending upwardly on a frame from a headband. The shade folds essentially as an umbrella, with no twisting action provided. While the deployed shade essentially forms a continuous, raised brim-like expanse above the wearer's head, with no separate crown portion extending thereabove, no drape or twist-folding action of the device is disclosed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,999,851 issued on Mar. 19, 1991 to Douglass A. Hall, titled "Collapsible Hat," describes a hat with a brim having a circumferential flexible stiffening member therein. The ends of the brim stiffening member are captured adjacent one another, but are free to rotate axially relative to one another for greater freedom of motion. Hall provides for either double or triple twist folding of his brim and hat, but does not disclose any form of drape depending from any point or area of his hat.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,081,717 issued on Jan. 21, 1992 to Aaron N. Shedd et al., titled "Headgear Attachment," describes a drape which is removably attachable to the back of the headband or periphery of a close fitting cap. While the conventional cap disclosed includes a front brim or bill, no suggestion is made for attaching the Shedd et al. removable drape to this portion of the cap to space the drape away from the skin of the cap wearer.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,212,837 issued on May 25, 1993 to Richard V. Gose et al., titled "Protective Clothing Accessory," describes a drape and head band which may be applied about the upper head, with a hat being placed over the upper edge of the drape. Gose et al. also provides for their drape to be removably attached to the headband of existing headgear. However, Gose et al. are silent regarding the use of their drape with a hat having a brim; no use of the Gose et al. drape depending from the outer edge of an extended hat brim is disclosed.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,287,561 issued on Feb. 22, 1994 to Donald Spector, titled "Convertible Fabric Hat And Package Therefor," describes a hat having a relatively wide circumferential brim and a double crown. The space between the two crowns may be inflated, causing the second crown to expand to a convex shape and the center of the hat to form a generally spherical shape. The Spector hat may be tossed as a toy in this configuration. Spector does not disclose any form of drape which may be removably or permanently attached to the outer circumference of the brim of his hat.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,367,706 issued on Nov. 29, 1994 to Norma J. Davidson, titled "Collapsible Headnet," describes a generally cylindrical net with a closed top and a generally medial circumferential flexible stiffening member. The stiffening member does not define the outer edge of a brim, but rather expands the net to hold the net away from the wearer's face. The stiffening member may be twist folded for compact storage of the Davidson net. However, the Davidson device is not actually a hat for covering the top of the head, but is rather a net to cover and enclose the entire head, face, and neck in order to prevent insect bites and the like. No extended brim, or drape depending from such a brim, is disclosed by Davidson.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,448,778 issued on Sep. 12, 1995 to Bradway F. Phillips, titled "Detachable Sun Shield For Caps," describes a drape for removable attachment to a conventional baseball type cap having a forward brim or bill and an adjustable headband. The drape is placed over the cap, with the forward portion of the drape band extending across the forward portion of the cap above the bill. The adjustable headband components may be separated and inserted into slits in the band of the drape at the rear of the cap. The drape thus depends from the headband of the cap, rather than from any extended brim portion, as in the present hat invention. Phillips does not disclose any twist folding means for the cap, nor any means of securing the drape to depend from the brim or bill portion of the cap.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,450,629 issued on Sep. 19, 1995 to Keith D. Gilstrap, titled "Convertible Hat With A Foldable Visor And Associated Method," describes a baseball style cap having a generally hemispherical crown portion with a bill or visor extending from the forward circumferential edge thereof. The visor includes a series of transverse fold lines, for folding the visor and tucking it into the crown portion for compact storage of the hat when not being worn. No twist folding or circumferential brim is disclosed, nor is any form of either permanently or removably attached drape depending from such a brim, disclosed by Gilstrap.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,488,740 issued on Feb. 6, 1996 to Irene E. Garza, titled "Reversible And Size Adjustable Hat," describes a hat having a double crown and brim, with the hat providing for eversion to exchange the inner and outer portions of the crown and brim. No twist folding of the brim and hat is disclosed, nor does Garza disclose any form of drape depending from the brim or elsewhere from the hat.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,579,540 issued on Dec. 3, 1996 to Janice Walker, titled "Hat/Bag Combination," describes a hat having doubled crown and brim surfaces for reversibility of the hat. The construction of the hat permits the brim to be concealed either partially or completely within the hat, with a drawstring about the headband permitting further folding or closure of the hat. No twist folding means is disclosed, nor does Walker disclose any provision for a drape either removably or permanently attached to the outer edge of the brim or any other portion of the hat.
French Patent Publication No. 787,503 published on Sep. 24, 1935 illustrates a hat with the brim apparently including an outer periphery with a stiff, flexible band therein. FIG. 3 of the French Patent Publication appears to show the triple twist folding of the band, brim, and hat for storage- However, no drape depending from any portion of the crown or brim of the hat, is disclosed.
Italian Patent Publication No. 358,061 published in August, 1938 illustrates a hat apparently including a relatively wide brim with a band providing for twist folding of the brim and hat. While a carrying loop or handle appears to be illustrated, no disclosure is apparent of any form of drape depending from any part of the hat.
French Patent Publication No. 1,031,469 published on Mar. 18, 1953 illustrates a hat having a relatively wide brim including a circumferential stiff, flexible member therein. The hat and brim may be twist folded to form three loops for compact storage. The ends of the brim member are captured relative to one another, but are free to rotate axially relative to one another for greater flexibility. However, the hat of the '469 French Patent Publication does not disclose any form of drape depending from any portion of the hat or brim.
Australian Patent Publication No. 153,025 published on Aug. 31, 1953 illustrates a hat essentially identical to that of the '469 French Patent Publication discussed immediately above, to the same inventor. The same differences from the present invention apply.
French Patent Publication No. 1,472,626 published on Mar. 10, 1967 illustrates a hat including a brim and removable draw string. The draw string may be carried within the crown of the hat, and removed from the crown and installed within the outer edge of the brim in order to use the hat as a handbag or the like. No means for twist folding the brim for compact storage of the hat is apparent, nor is any drape depending from any portion of the hat, apparent.
Finally, Swiss Patent Publication No. 666,164 published on Jul. 15, 1988 illustrates a hat with a relatively wide brim including a flexible member in the outer edge thereof for twist folding the brim and hat for compact storage. No form of drape depending from any part of the hat, is disclosed.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.